Bethany Beach Mayor Carol Olmstead expressed her pleasure with the final stages of work on beach reconstruction in the town at the town council’s Jan. 18 meeting.
“It’s proceeding extremely well,” she said Friday, days after the planting of dune grass had begun and construction of dune crossings had started.
Those crossings will bring beachgoers from the town’s wooden boardwalk to the peak of the new dune via a wooden boardwalk. They will then be able to traverse to the beach on a packed-sand path leading down the dune’s eastern slope.
Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant dune crossings are also under construction at Wellington and Ocean View parkways, with a run of hard surface from the street to the beach at those locations. Alongside the ADA crossings at the top of the dune will be additional hard-packed sand areas designed as outlook points for those who don’t want to, or can’t, traverse the front side of the dune to the beach.
Walkways at the street ends were mostly completed, Olmstead said last Friday. She added that adding additional sand on the hard-packed walkways was being discussed to ease access for those preferring a softer surface.
Resident Jim McGrath challenged town officials over the issue of the height of the dune, which has been a source of controversy since construction of the project began and it was observed that the dune blocks the ocean view from the boardwalk for some.
“Has the town requested that the dune height be lowered?” McGrath asked.
“No, we have not,” Olmstead replied, saying the town did not want to be on record as wanting the dune height reduced but instead wanted to let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommend what is best for Bethany Beach.
McGrath pointed to early incongruities over the height of the town’s boardwalk between engineering drawings and reality, asking Olmstead if a variation of 6 to 12 inches could be cited with the Corps as a reason for the town to officially request a reduction in the dune’s height.
“It’s in the hands of the Corps,” Olmstead said.
Town Manager Cliff Graviet emphasized that Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary John Hughes has formally asked the Corps to look at reducing the dune height by 2 feet, particularly as to whether such a reduction would reduce the town’s newly enhanced storm protection from the Atlantic.
“It doesn’t make sense for the town to make that request,” Graviet said.
“Some people think it’s a problem. Some are very happy with it as it was constructed,” Olmstead offered. “No, we’re not going on the record,” she concluded.
Resident Joan Gordon said she felt the town requesting a reduction in the dune height was a bad idea. “We are so lucky to have this project,” she said. “It would be insane” to go on record asking for a height reduction, she added.
The Corps is expected to return an answer to the officials DNREC request to look at a 2-foot dune height reduction in Bethany Beach within several months. If the idea is approved, DNREC equipment and personnel could make the change and then rework crossings and plant new dune grass.
Graviet said the town also plans to begin replacing snow fencing along the beach as the work on the dunes is completed.
Denault appointed to planning seat
There was also some controversy oer an appointment to the town’s planning commission on Jan. 18, with the council voting 5-2 to appoint resident Faith Denault to the commission. Denault will fill a seat created by the council’s recent decision to change the council representative position on the planning commission to a non-voting one.
While no one on the council debated Denault’s fitness for the position, the other candidate who had put himself forward for the seat had the support of at least one council member.
Dan Costello — who headed the petition drive that eventually pushed the council to repeal an ordinance that tied building height to roof pitch — has expressed interest in a planning post for several years and had hoped to take the new seat.
“This is an excellent nomination,” Council Member Tracy Mulligan said of Denault. “But Mr. Costello has on numerous occasions expressed an interest in joining the planning commission. He’s attended many or most of the commission’s meetings, and he has thoughtful positions on issues in the town, whether you agree with them or not.”
“With the length of time he’s expressed an interest in joining the Planning Commission, he should be given due consideration,” Mulligan continued.
Olmstead said she felt both parties were qualified but supported Denault in her nomination.
Council Member J. Robert “Bob” Parsons joined Mulligan in voting against the nomination, which received the affirmative votes of the other council members.
Fire company, library receive grants
Also on Jan. 18:
• The council presented a check for $40,000 to the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company, as its annual contribution to the company. “This is one way we show our appreciation for the great job the fire department does,” Olmstead said.
• Bethany Beach Landowners Association (BBLA) President John Himmelberg announced plans to expand the season for the second year of the Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market. The season for 2008 will extend from the last Sunday in June through the month of August. Himmelberg said more vendors were expected, with “as many local farmers as we can get.” He thanked the town’s police department, town council, town manager, staff and volunteers who helped get the market going in 2007.
• Council members voted 6-0 with one abstention to ask the town’s Charter and Ordinance Review Committee to do further research on possible requirements for the owners of homes that are rented to group home services for those with special-needs. CORC Chairman Chuck Petersen reported that the committee had failed to come up with any clear solution to concerns about delivery traffic in the downtown area, but ongoing consideration is expected.
• Mulligan reported some 15 comments received on the town’s redesigned Web site and noted that additional input continues to be welcomed. Two meetings on the subject are scheduled for Feb. 7, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
• Graviet said 220 new participating households in the town’s municipal curbside recycling program had been signed up as the program began this month. A glitch in the program with those already participating was to be cleared up in the next few days he said. Meanwhile, another glitch focused on the participation of condominiums with central garbage collection. Delaware Solid Waste Authority officials were due to visit those communities to help determine central recycling bin locations, which he hoped would be worked out in the next week or so.
• The council heard a first reading of an ordinance that would officially require the conspicuous posting of building and repair permits on premises and amending fines related to that requirement.
• Council members voted unanimously to allocate about $100,000 in contingency funds from the 2008 fiscal-year budget. Some $86,000 of that money is being allocated to the South Coastal Library, while the town’s beach patrol captain was compensated for excessive salary cuts made to try to meet the town’s budget, beach patrol coverage was expanded to eliminate one-person stands and lighting was added to the new bandstand.
Graviet said he expects to add four additional guards and two stands on the town’s expanded beach for the summer of 2008, now that the previously off-limit jetty/groin areas are covered with new sand. He said DNREC officials are also considering a plan to mark the locations in case erosion uncovers the features in the future.
• Council members voted unanimously to allocate funds from the 2009 fiscal-year budget for the refurbishment of parking meters, which needs to be contracted soon to have the meters ready for this summer.